“Tactical Carbine/Shotgun” matches are popping up all over the place, allowing people shoot 3 Gun-style matches without having to deal with rifle-strength targets or have a 300+ yard range nearby.

A 9mm Carbine makes a dandy home-defense long gun, giving you the increased control and added thump of more muzzle velocity of a long gun without the over-penetration worries of a rifle-caliber carbine.

And it makes a dandy bug-out gun, too. Having to carry around one kind of ammo and carry one set of magazines makes a lot of sense when you’re dealing with limited space and weight. A 9mm carbine maxes out at about 100 yards, but that’s all you’ll be likely to need in anything other than a complete and total “SHTF” scenario.

Memo to Ruger: Take the PC-9, slap on the furniture from your tactical Mini-14, and you’re there. And Marlin, same goes for you.